BARRELS. 15 



the breeching, lock, and touchhole (of which I shall 

 make mention hereafter), be all on a proper con- 

 struction. 



Though a barrel, bored in this manner, will not 

 shoot quite so close as it might be made to do, yet, 

 taking every thing into consideration, it has the ten- 

 fold advantage of doing justice to a good shot, and 

 even assisting a bad one, by the irresistible force 

 given, not only to the body of the charge, but also 

 to the pellets, winch fly wide of the mark. Let the 

 sportsman, therefore, rest assured, that a gun, which 

 will shoot sufficiently close a surface to insure two or 

 three shot (of No. 7, at forty yards) taking the body 

 of a bird, and, at the same time, distribute them in 

 a regular manner, is better than a very close shoot- 

 ing cylinder. It was formerly the custom to make 

 barrels, although so small as fourteen, sixteen, or 

 even two-and-twenty in the gauge, of three or four 

 feet in length ; and now, since it has been ascertained 

 that two feet six inches will shoot equally well, at 

 the short distance of a gunmaker's confined premises, 

 many have gone too much to the other extreme, and 

 cut them to two feet four inches, and less. The 

 disadvantage of this is, that even the best shots are 

 more liable to miss ; as, although we allow, that a 

 short gun, at a short distance, will kill as well as a 

 long one, yet the latter gives you a more accurate , 

 aim, and considerably lessens the recoil, by which you 

 shoot to a greater nicety, and with more steadiness. 

 To avoid all extremes, I should recommend small 



